New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-18
A RFLTCTANT SURRENDER.


whirlwind of righteous wrath, but tho man
ner Of his admission Is only a shade less In
sulting to patriots than the original affront.
He has sent letter to the Secretary OF War
ievoking his order for the restoration Of nobel
flags but what document Is this to enanate
from tho President Of the United States ! 1t
contains not n word Of regret that he. OF oil
men in tho country, should have aroused a
storm of shame and grief and bitterness; not
word of explanation 10 soften the blow Mr.
Cleveland IL not blind or deaf. He saw and
heard tho hurricane, and even his stubborn
intelligence was aroused An emergency con-
frontcd him, and he thought to control II by
n reference to the statutes. Neither In nor
between the lines of his revocation can be
found trace Of patriotic emotion, OF remorsc
that he should have been the cupbearcr oil
humiliation to the people, of manly deter
mination to elface the wrong at any sacrifice
of personal pride. II am OF tho opinion,
he writes to Mr.. Endicott, "that the return Of
these flags In the manner thus contemplated Is
not authorized by existing law nor usuiled rs
an executive act He would be glad enough
of the chance to serve his eN-Confederate n-
visers. but there seems to be foolish sentl-
ment against him on this point, and on the
whole 1t Is better that -"any direction as TO
the final disposition of the flags should orig
inate with Congress-
But this callous Indifference to the noblest
and tendercst feelings Of loyal men Is not the
only extraordinary feature Of the Presidents
letter to the Secretary. Until this document
appeared 1t was impossible to see what the
Southern States of an undivided country had
to do with the emblcms Of a vanquishcd con
spiracy But Mr. Cleveland recognizes no diff
Guilty hero. He distinctly aflirms that 1t was
TO "the Confederate States the imperishable
fsctors of rebellion, that he had determined TO
restore their banners. The South has per
sistcnty asserted, and the North has tried hard
to believe, that there was no longer left
vestge of the framework of treason. But the
President will not have it so. In his eyes 1.-THE
Confederate States" still prolong in fact tho
existence which they never had in right 1 he
organization still survives not merely In the
memory Of those who fought and suffered and
we're crushed, but In a compact and visible
form. ready to hear itself proclaimed by the
President Of tho United States, and 10 receive
at his hands the banners under which the
world had supposed it went down to oblivion
And it Is Enthusiastically the President who
planned and perpetuatcd this enormity AS
time passes and full sense of his stuDcndous
error forces its way into his consciousness, an
attempt will doubtless be made In his behalf
to have it appear that he is bearing the bur
den of another's sins. The country has been
familiar with this cheap apology for tho Ad-
ministration ever since March 4, 1883, and
has come to have a clear perception OF Just how
much IL Is worth In the present instance II
is worth absolutely nothing. Adjutant-Gcneral
Drum settles that point at once and forever,
when he emphatically declares Tho PIES
idcnt recommended tho return OF the flags.
The action is not due to any pressure or any
suggestion from any outside source The idea
originated with the Administration. 1t had
been in contemplation in the Department for
some considerable time"
At first thought it would not seem unreason-
able to suppose that even Mr. Cleveland might
be profoundly moved by the excavations OF
host of Union veterans, and the contempt OF
tho brave men who fought in vain for dis
union. But if he Is untouched by sentiment
which is as wide as the land itself, If he I'M
AGNES that his only duty and concern are to
repair political mistake, we would shl ad-
wise him, during tho remainder of his term.
TO be satisfied with the Office to which miracle
raised him and to restrain his ambition to be.
at the same time, the President Of "the
Confederate States"